


Like Roses

by Kaza999



Category: Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Relationship, F/F, No Sex, ace!China, china and tanith have a bath together and it's sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2014-09-15
Packaged: 2018-02-17 11:50:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2308685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaza999/pseuds/Kaza999
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a long week for both of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like Roses

**Author's Note:**

> soooOOOO i really just kind of wanted to write a nice romantic night between ace!china and tanith? like they're in an ace relationship but they're romantic and intimate and everything

It had been a trying week for the both of them. 

China had been busy fighting with the American Grand Mage—well, she didn't _call_ it fighting. She called it 'a stern discussion.' The American Grand Mage, Naranuska Crystal, absolutely _hated_ China for a multitude of reasons, some of them even legitimate, and as such tended to drag out discussions as long and as hard as she possibly could. It wasn't really an issue for China, just tiring. 

Tanith had been asked to help out a friend of hers in South Africa track down a nest of feral vampires who had decided to start attacking the local magical population. She'd only just come back into the country and was still sore from fights that had been over a whole day ago. Wound inflicted by vampires, even if they were just bruises and scrapes, tended to last a long time.

It was Tanith who got home first. She threw her bag in the bedroom and unbuckled her sword, putting it on the kitchen counter. Then she flung herself in an armchair in the living room and resolved to stay put for at least the next few hours. She deserved a break.

China actually got back only a little later than Tanith. About half an hour after she came home, Tanith heard the front door open.

“Hey,” she called tiredly. 

China walked through the living room door, holding Tanith's sword delicately by the hilt. She didn't like swords, but she knew how to hold them. “Hello, dear.” she said. “You look terrible.”

“Hello to you too,” Tanith grumbled. 

“You left your sword on the counter again.” China deposited the sword next to Tanith's armchair. “We have a weapons rack for just this reason.”

“I didn't feel like going to all the trouble of hanging it up,” Tanith sighed. “The weapons rack is all the way on the other side of the house.”

China leaned over and kissed Tanith's cheek, running a hand absently over her head. “You need a bath. You smell like dirt.”

“Wow, thanks.” Tanith laughed. “But it's probably true.” she rubbed her face and realized there was a smear of dirt across her cheeks. “Scratch that. It's _absolutely_ true.”

“Of course it is. Come on.” she straightened up and took Tanith's hand and lead her to the bathroom. 

Part of Tanith's motivation for moving in with China had been the bathroom. It was _huge_ , and Tanith estimated it was larger than some places she lived. The walls and floor were all done in tasteful black tiling with purple accents, and the bathtub was wide and deep and set into a raised section of the floor. A mirror covered the wall behind the tub.

There were candles all around the rim of the tub, and China only had to brush the symbols that were carved into the candleholders for them to light. The air began to smell pleasantly like vanilla, and Tanith turned on the hot water. 

“We need bubble bath.” she said firmly. There was one large jar of bath salts, as well as several smaller ones and some bottles of scents and soaps on one corner of the tub. Tanith took the bottle of bubble bath and poured it into the water. 

China rolled her eyes, but she smiled. “If you insist. I'm using the lavender bath salts, though.” China took some of the salts out of the jar and tossed them in the water, which had already begun to foam. After a moment of consideration, she took some of the salts meant to ease sore muscles and put those in as well. 

Tanith took off her leathers (which were still dusty and a bit blood-stained from her trip, and didn't smell all that great either) and got into the tub with a sigh of relief. 

China picked up the leathers from where Tanith had dropped them on the floor, and put them in the laundry basket that was next to the sink. Somehow, even the laundry basket was tasteful and pleasant looking, and matched everything else in the room. She removed her own clothes, immediately placing them in the laundry basket with a pointed look at Tanith, and stepped into the tub as well. 

Tanith scooted over to where China was sitting. 

“So, did you deal with that Crystal woman?” she asked. “C'mere, let me wash your hair.”

China leaned over so Tanith could get at her head. 

During China's short attempt at burning herself alive a few years ago, her hair had been burned off, and after that she'd decided to keep her hair short. It was less than an inch long and lay in tight curls on her head, and didn't actually need washing most of the time. 

Tanith grabbed the shampoo anyway. It was more a sensory thing than anything else, really. 

“I did,” China said in answer to Tanith's question. “It wasn't hard. She was just determined to drag everything out far longer than is necessary.” she sighed as Tanith rubbed her scalp. 

“Is it just me or do you meet people like that a lot?”

“Oh, all the time. What about you? How was Africa?”

Tanith shrugged. “Close your eyes,” she said, and poured water over China's head. “Let me do your shoulders, too.”

Tanith rubbed soap onto China's shoulders, working over to her neck and her back. “Africa was fine,” she said. “The vampires... _weren't_ , but we got rid of them.”

China made a little _tch_ sound in the back of her throat. “Vampires,” she said disdainfully. 

“Yeah,” Tanith agreed. She got to the middle of China's back and paused.

“Should I keep going?” she asked. China's lower back, chest and stomach were what Tanith referred to as 'danger areas' because of China's aversion to them being touched (China referred to them as 'places she didn't like being touched' because 'danger areas' was too undignified and made her sound like a construction site). Sometimes she changed her mind, though, so Tanith always asked. Her lower body was completely off limits, even her feet. 

“No, thank you.” China said, and moved so she could face the other woman. “Turn around. Your turn.”

Tanith obligingly turned and leaned back, so her head was on China's chest. China covered her hands in shampoo and worked her fingers into Tanith's scalp. She ran her fingers though Tanith's hair, gently unknotting every little tangle and snarl. Every once in a while she poured water over Tanith's head to rinse her hair. 

“You heard from Dexter and Saracen lately?” Tanith asked while China worked on a particularly stubborn knot. 

“Mm. The pair of them, Skulduggery and Valkyrie went to Japan a few days ago. An old friend of Dexter's called in a favor.”

“Oh yeah? How are they doing?”

“Fine, the last I heard.” she rinsed Tanith's hair one last time, and started rubbing her shoulders. “You're tense.”

“Vampires are hard to kill.”

“They certainly are,” China agreed. They didn't speak anymore, just sat in comfortable silence. Tanith was content to let China wash her. She didn't have the same no-touch zones that China did, so China didn't have to pause and ask permission. 

Eventually, the water got cold. 

China stepped out, ignoring Tanith's little noise of protest, and fetched bathrobes for the both of them. She pulled hers on and handed the other to Tanith, who pulled herself out of the tub with considerably more effort. 

“Bed?” China asked.

“Bed.” Tanith agreed, nodding sleepily, and the pair of them headed for the bedroom. 

The bedroom was another reason Tanith had moved in with China. The bed was a huge four-poster affair, complete with a canopy. It was easily the most comfortable bed Tanith had ever slept in. 

She took off her robe and flopped down on the bed. She couldn't be bothered to get her pajamas on at this point. China threw one of her oversized t-shirts and a pair of pajama pants at her, which Tanith laboriously put on. China didn't mind nakedness, but she felt that there was a time and a place, and when they were going to sleep was not that time _or_ place. 

China deigned to actually put on a nightgown before getting into bed as well, in addition to properly hanging up her robe. 

She wrapped her arms around Tanith and kissed her forehead. 

“Love you,” Tanith mumbled. “Missed you.”

“I'm sure you did. I missed you as well.”

Tanith smiled against China's shoulder, and slept.


End file.
